Main content

There’s a 'slight mixture of sadness' that Philae’s batteries ran out

The Rosetta satellite is due to make contact with the Philae comet lander – but Philae’s batteries ran out overnight.

The little probe landed in the shadow of a cliff on comet 67P on Wednesday, which means it may not get enough sunlight to recharge its battery before mother ship Rosetta’s orbit brings the two into alignment.

Professor Mark McCaughrean, senior science advisor at the European Space Agency says there’s a “slight mixture of sadness” that Philae’s batteries ran out overnight but “we’re actually completely elated”.

This clip is originally from Breakfast Saturday 15th November 2014.

Release date:

Duration:

4 minutes

This clip is from